The Monadnock Folklore Society presents a special concert and contra dance celebrating the recent renovation of the historic Chickering grand piano. The event begins at 3:00 PM with performances by the Monadnock Chorus, Dan Sedgwick and Marjorie Gere, Virginia Eskin, and Ben Cosgrove. The concert wraps up with a set of tunes composed by Bob McQuillen, performed by Laurie Indenbaum, fiddle, and Larry Siegel, piano. The concert will be followed by a contra dance with Steve Zakon-Anderson calling and music by the Sugar River Band (the Orzechowski family with Sarah Bauhan) and the fabulous Open Band.

Admission is free, donations are welcome to support the work of the Monadnock Folklore Society and the piano itself.

This celebrated grand piano was built in the 1890s by Chickering & Sons—the first piano manufacturer in the United States—and was gifted to the Town of Peterborough for the grand opening of its Town House in 1918.

For over a century, it served the community, most notably as played by Bob McQuillen. McQuillen, a celebrated figure in the contra dance world, savored the instrument’s “rich sound,” a sentiment echoed by his mentor, Johnny Trombly, who played the same piano during the era of the Ralph Page Orchestra during the 1940s and 50s.

However, by 2023, the piano was showing its age. A century of humidity changes, thousands of hours of playing, and general wear had taken their toll. The town faced a choice: replace the aging giant or invest in its future.

The Town and the Monadnock Folklore Society partnered to raise money from state grants, private foundations and many individual donors.

The restoration itself took 11 months. A photo history of the work is available at https://www.monadnockfolk.org/about/help-save-bobs-piano/

The concert and dance take place in the historic Town House in Peterborough, NH at 1 Grove Street. For more information call 603.762.0235 or visit www.monadnockfolk.org. The Monadnock Folklore Society has presented contra dances and concerts of traditional music since 1982. The piano restoration project was supported by the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, the Conservation License Plate Program, and the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.